''Shinden-zukuri'' (寝殿造) refers to an architectural style created in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

(794－1185) in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and used mainly for palaces and residences of nobles. In 894, Japan abolished the ''kentōshi'' (Japanese missions to Tang China), distanced itself from Chinese culture, and brought into bloom a culture called Kokufu bunka'' (lit., national culture), which was in keeping with the Japanese climate and aesthetic sense. This style was an expression of ''Kokufu bunka'' in architecture, clearly showing the uniqueness of Japanese architecture and defining the characteristics of later Japanese architecture. Its features include an open structure with few walls that can be opened and closed with doors, '' shitomi'' and ''

sudare are traditional Japanese screens or blinds, made of horizontal slats of decorative wood, bamboo, or other natural material, woven together with simple string, colored yarn, or other decorative material to make nearly solid blinds can be ei ...

'', a structure in which people take off their shoes and enter the house on stilts, sitting or sleeping directly on '' tatami'' mats without using chairs or beds, a roof made of laminated ''hinoki'' (Japanese cypress) bark instead of ceramic tiles, and a natural texture that is not painted on pillars.Kokufu bunka.
Kotobank.Shinden-zukuri.
Kotobank.Seiroku Ota (1987) ''Study of Shinden-zukuri'' p.22. Yoshikawa Kōbunkan. This style reached its peak in the 10th to 11th century, but when the

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

class gained power in the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

(1185－1333), the ''buke-zukuri'' style became popular, and declined in the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

(1336－1573) due to the development of the ''

shoin-zukuri is a style of Japanese architecture developed in the Muromachi period, Muromachi, Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo period, Edo periods that forms the basis of today's traditional-style Japanese houses. Characteristics of the ...

'' style.

Structure

The main characteristics of the ''shinden-zukuri'' are a special symmetry of the group of buildings and undeveloped space between them. A mansion was usually set on a one square. The main building, the , is on the central north–south axis and faces south on an open courtyard. Two subsidiary buildings, the , are built to the right and left of the ''shinden'', both running east–west. The ''tai-no-ya'' and the ''shinden'' are connected by two corridors called respectively ''sukiwatadono'' (透渡殿) and ''watadono'' (渡殿). A ''chūmon-rō'' (中門廊, central gate corridor) at the half-way points of the two corridors lead to a south courtyard, where many ceremonies were celebrated. From the ''watadono'', narrow corridors extend south and end in ''tsuridono'', small pavilions that travel in a U-shape around the courtyard. Wealthier aristocrats built more buildings behind the ''shinden'' and ''tai-no-ya''. The room at the core of the ''shinden'' ('' moya'') is surrounded by a (one ken wide) roofed aisle called '' hisashi''. The ''moya'' is one big space partitioned by portable screens (see

List of partitions of traditional Japanese architecture Traditional Japanese architecture uses post-and-lintel structures – vertical posts, connected by horizontal beams. Rafters are traditionally the only structural member used in Timber framing#Japanese, Japanese timber framing that are neither hori ...

). Guests and residents of the house are seated on mats, laid out separately on a polished wooden floor. As the style developed, the moya became a formal, public space, and the hisashi was divided into private spaces. Since the ''shinden-zukuri''-style house flourished during the Heian period, houses tended to be furnished and adorned with characteristic art of the era. In front of the ''moya'' across the courtyard is a garden with a pond. Water runs from a stream (''yarimizu'' 遣水) into a large pond to the south of the courtyard. The pond had islets and bridges combined with mountain shapes, trees, and rocks aimed at creating the feeling of being in the land of the Amida Buddha. Officers and guards lived by the east gates. File:Saikū Historical Museum - Display item04 - The palace of Saiô - Miniature model.jpg, Museum model of the palace of the Saiō. The hisashi surrounds the moya. The moya is partitioned into an antechamber and a nurigome (塗篭), a 2×2 ken sleeping-space with plaster walls, containing a chōdai ( 帳台, lit. "

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture, architectural feature, particularly over Alta ...

"). The nurigome later shrank and moved into the hisashi. The rigid hinged rain shutters on the far side are hajitomi; the rolled blinds on the near side

misu ''Misu'' () is a beverage made from the traditional Korean grain powder (substance), powder ''misu-garu'' (), which is a combination of 7–10 different grains. It is usually served on hot summer days to quench thirst or as an instant nutrit ...

. File:Saikū Historical Museum - Display item05 - The room of Saiô.jpg, Reconstruction of the interior furnishings of the same building. The Saiō sits on a dais, with a

byōbu are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels, bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses. History are originated in Han dynasty China and are tho ...

behind her, a kichō to her left, and a boxlike chōdai (帳台,

) to her right. Above and before her, a kabeshiro (壁代, wall-curtain) is rolled and tied up.

Other influenced styles

''Buke-zukuri''

The ''buke-zukuri'' was the style of houses built for military families. It was similar in structure to the regular ''shinden-zukuri'' with a few room changes to accommodate the differences between the aristocratic family and the military family. During the time when military families rose in power over the aristocrats, living quarters changed. Each lord had to build extra space in order to keep his soldiers around him at all times with their weapons within reach on the grounds in case of a sudden attack. To help guard against these attacks, a '' yagura'' or tower was built and torches were scattered around the gardens so they could be lit as quickly as possible. With the increase of people living under the same roof, extra rooms called ''hiro-bisashi'' ("spacious room under the eaves") were built grouped around the ''shinden''. The ''zensho'' (膳所 kitchen) was also built bigger in order to accommodate the required people needed to cook all the food for the soldiers and members of the household. Unlike the ''shinden-zukuri'', ''buke-zukuri'' homes were simple and practical, keeping away from the submersion into art and beauty that led to the downfall of the Heian court. Rooms characteristic of a ''buke-zukuri'' home are as follows: *''Dei'' (出居, reception room) *''Saikusho'' (細工所, armory) *''Tsubone'' (局, a shared place in the mansion) *''Kuruma-yadori'' (車宿, a shelter for vehicles and cows) *''Jibutsu-dō'' (持佛堂, a room in which the ancestral tablets and other symbols of Buddhist worship were kept) *''Gakumon-jō'' (place or room for study) *''Daidokoro'' (kitchen) *''Takibi-no-ma'' (焚火間, place for fire) *''Baba-den'' (馬場殿, horse-training room) *''Umaya'' (厩,

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

) The ''buke-zukuri'' style changed throughout the

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

and

s, and over times the rooms in a ''buke-zukuri'' style house decreased as ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

s'' started to use castles.

Shoin-zukuri

Extant examples

There are no remaining original examples of ''Shinden-zukuri'' style buildings. It is often said that Byōdō-in temple is the existing ''shinden-zukuri'', but according to Byōdō-in, Byodoin is not a ''shinden-zukuri'' style.Shinden-zukuri style and Jodo garden.
Byōdō-in. September 25, 2018. some current structures follow the similar styles and designs: *

Heian Palace The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. Both the palace and the city were constructed in the late 700s and were patterned on Ancient Chinese urban planning, Chinese models and designs. The palace ...

* Byōdō-in's Phoenix Hall * Hōjō-ji

Notes

References

*"The Rise and Decline of Bukezukuri" P. D. Perkins, ''Monumenta Nipponica'', Vol. 2, No. 2. (July 1939), pp. 596–608. * "The Phoenix Hall at Uji and the Symmetries of Replication Mimi Hall" Yiengpruksawan, ''The Art Bulletin'', Vol. 77, No. 4. (December 1995), pp. 647–672. *"Shinden-zukuri no kokyu" (The Study of Shinden-zukuri) Dr. Shoin Maeda, ''Nippon Kenchiku Zasshi'' (''The Japan Architectural Journal'')

External links

Shindenzukuri (Sengokudaimyo.com)
{{Authority control Japanese architectural styles Heian period